Balayage! The Biggest Hair Trend of the Summer!

Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts regarding things you need to know before dying your hair, I briefly mentioned balayage. I also touched on a few tips, but in this article I thought I would go deeper! Well, for those of you that don’t exactly know what balayage is, it is actually rooted from a French word that literally means to paint. It is a “hair painting” process that doesn’t touch the roots, and just focuses on the mid shaft through the ends of your hair. This gives your hair a more natural look like you were in the Hamptons for the summer soaking up the sun. This is a great way to give your hair some oomph, texture and color without the commitment of having to go to the salon every 6-8 weeks! Since the color doesn’t start at the roots, you can definitely get away with not going back to the salon until months after dying it. I’ve personally gone 6 months without having to get it retouched. The key is to make sure you take good care of your hair in between! Maintenance maintenance maintenance!!

There are easy and affordable ways to make sure your balayage stays fresh and gorgeous without fading if you follow my 2 quick tips!

I know I mentioned this in my hair dying post, but this is VERY important that’s why I keep repeating myself like a broken record haha. Make sure to be using sulfate-free shampoo! This is a must. Sulfates are detergents that help clean your hair of all the grim and dirt, which is good right? However, because it strips all of the dirt and grim out of your hair, it also strips the color out! You read that correctly, shampoos with sulfates WILL make your color fade much faster than shampoo that is sulfate free. That is why I keep preaching for you to use sulfate free shampoo. The good news is, there are a lot of affordable options. My favorite drugstore brands are: Aveeno Pure Renewal (smells AH-MAZING), NEXXUS (a bit more pricey but works well), and Shea Moisture. All of these shampoos are sulfate-free, so they will keep your hair color nice and vibrant! And the other good thing about sulfate free shampoo is that it doesn’t over dry your hair, so you won’t need to cut your ends as often! (You’re welcome)

2) Purple Shampoo! I also mentioned this in my hair dying post but didn’t go into that much detail. If your balayage is blonde, or even a light brown, and after a few weeks you start noticing it turn a bit brassy…well, purple shampoo will be your BEST FRIEND! Purple shampoo combats the brass! If you refer to a color wheel, since violet is right across from yellow/orange that is how the brass gets cancelled out. Pretty simple right? So, next time you see your hair turn a little bit brassy, instead of rushing to the hair salon and spending another arm and a leg on your hair color touch up, incorporate purple shampoo into your hair routine! You can use it once a week in between your other shampoo. If you start noticing that your hair turns more brassy, then use it a couple washes in a row. My favorite purple shampoos are: John Frieda Color Renew Tone Restoring Shampoo, and Tigi Catwalk Fashionista Violet Shampoo.

If you’re not looking to go for a permanent look but would rather something more temporary, many brands offer balayage colored hair extensions that look great when property installed. Whatever you choose, balayage is a great look that is currently in style!